Grimm Awakening
by jin0uga
Summary: Dark epiphanies unveiled. Nature cries, the Belladonna weeps, the dragon roars and the earth trembles. Collab work with The Grinning Psychopath.
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Alrighty, so this is a collab work between me and The Grinning Psychopath. This story is not OC centric, but he'll play an important role in this story. Don't worry, no romance between the OC and any rwby characters. So with that explanation done, enjoy the prolouge of Grimm awakening! And drop a review to let us know what you think :3

* * *

He flexed his jaw and lunged, sinking his teeth into his prey.

The training robot let out a muted sputter as its neck was caught between the sharp teeth, the connective wires responsible for movement severed as his attack had punctured the protective metal plate. Previously readied arms fell limply against its sides, and he bit down one last time, the loud crunch making the observers wince. Lips thinned into a barely visible smirk, he flung the training robot aside with a movement of his head.

"W-Well…" The scientist cleared his throat, eyeing the ravaged dummy that had landed at his feet. "It looks like the latest serum was a success." He looked down at his clipboard and began to write furiously.

"Subject has adjusted well, and displays a stronger–"

The subject in question quickly tuned the scientist's words out and began stretching, and pawing at the ground. He had dealt with the robots numerous times before. It was fun in its own way, but far from satisfactory. The robots lacked the proper responses that got his blood truly pumping. He needed to hurt something, to feel its life pulsing under his clawed hands, he needed the thrill of an actual kill, he needed-

He was abruptly wrenched free from his thoughts of what he needed, when the drone of the scientist grew sharply. When he looked up, he noticed that the scientist was looking quite crossly at him.

' _Must have been asking me a question' he_ thought, _'Oh well…'_

"We're done here." The scientist griped and waved his hand in a shooing motion. "Now get out."

" _Finally_. I wonder how you squints live down here, it's _so_ boring." The reptile sighed. "Nothing tasty to eat, no prisoners to kill, no traitors to gut…"

"Well, that's your problem. Some of us actually _use_ our brains to conquer instead of just mindlessly eviscerating our enemies."

"Eh." The subject shrugged. "Suit yourself. Killing just seems much easier to me." He said and walked towards the exit. He gave the training robot a hard kick, chuckling when the force of the kick separated the head from its neck, the ball of metal rattling noisily when it hit the wall. Seeing this, the scientist just sighed and shook his head in disdain.

"Not all of us are fiends like you…" He muttered as the hulking figure disappeared out of sight.

* * *

Subject 217 shouldered through the small wave of recruits, not bothering to step aside. More than a few of them walked straight into him, and they shrank into themselves in fear when he stared at them before mumbling a soft apology and running off.

' _Ah…new blood_.' He thought gleefully, staring at the retreating back of a small goat Faunus. ' _I wonder how long they'll last this time…'_

He continued strolling through the latest hideout located somewhere in the outskirts of Vale. The reptile cast a wordless gaze on the more familiar looking white fang members he passed, and they gave him a small nod of respect ( _fear_ ) and continued on their way. He continued striding forward, his footfalls loud and menacing. His steady pace was never broken, almost all he encountered staying out of his way. And though some may mock him for leaving his back wide open, he didn't particularly care. There was never the need to look behind him, since none of the spineless fauni dared to go against him.

He knew what most of the White Fang thought of him.

 _Mindless_ , they said. _Ruffian, beast, brute._ The walls had mouths just as they had ears, but the reptile Faunus couldn't care less. He didn't need to prove anything to them, they were useless sacks of flesh that trembled as he walked by. They looked away from his piercing gaze, they were just as afraid of his shadow as they were, him.

The reptilian faunus didn't need to tell them about the human anatomy; which places to aim to cause the most pain, the numerous ways to stem a bleeding wound, how to break bones as easily as breaking sticks. He didn't need to tell them how he could break through the most intricate of firewalls, how he could steal military secrets without alerting the human scum. Subject 217 didn't owe the weak anything.

He grinned.

After all, those with weaknesses were always killed by the ones who lack them.


	2. Chapter 1

Blake stared at her scroll in silence, occasionally biting her lip to muffle a sigh. _Vale Weekly_ had just released a whole slew of news on the recent spike in White fang activity, and needless to say, the cat Faunus was feeling a little on edge. Most of their reported activities all had one similarity; they had been thefts. Other than the small number of injured and some destruction of property, they were little to no deaths at all.

' _What could they possibly want with these non-weapon tech? This doesn't make any sense. Dust robberies are one thing. But this?_ '

Blake felt her cat ears flick in agitation underneath the bow. It was odd that a vigilante group hell bent on causing destruction to any or all human property had only left behind _minimal casualties._ The members of the group were extremists, Adam being one example, and it left a bad taste in her mouth to think of those types of fauni sparing any human they came across without a malicious intent. Even if they did it on a whim, it was much too good to be true.

And the saying goes, that if it's too good to be true, it usually is.

Minimizing the browser, she opened up her inbox and quickly typed out a message. Brows furrowed in an attempt to convey the suspiciousness of the situation, but in the end she had tried to keep it as short as possible. With a small press of her finger, Blake smiled in grim satisfaction when the message appeared in the 'sent' folder.

"Hey partner!" A hard clap to her back knocked all the wind of her. She doubled over coughing, having accidentally choked on her spit in surprise.

"Whoa there!" Yang soothed worriedly, patting the girl's back gently. "I didn't mean to scare you like that. Well…I didn't think you would be _that_ surprised." Said the blonde in amusement, torn between laughing and trying not to look too guilty. Once Blake had recovered from her sudden fit, she rounded on her partner with an irritated gaze.

"What is it now?" The cat Faunus snapped.

"Hey hey, don't get your whiskers into a twist. You've been staring at the scroll for the fifteen minutes, so I thought a small break was due."

"I nearly had a heart attack!"

Yang scoffed, waving her hand dismissively. "Eh, details."

She grabbed the brunette by the arm, beginning to drag her in the direction of the airship. The protest died on Blake's lips when she'd remembered why they were here. Ruby had pestered the team for a group outing, and the only place they had managed to agree on was the carnival that had recently parked itself in the outskirts of Vale.

"Remind me again why we agreed to this?" Blake grouched as they ascended into the hull of the airship.

"Because Ruby." Yang replied with a shrug of her shoulders. "And sides' we deserve a break after saving Vale from that massive Grimm attack."

"We're huntresses in training. It's our job." Said Blake, the Faunus shuffling in her spot impatiently as airship soared toward their destination. She could hear Ruby and Weiss arguing about something yet again, but she tuned them out. Listening to them banter back and forth would give her a throbbing headache.

"Sheesh, now you just sound old. Lighten up a little! It's just for one day."

Yang stopped mid-sentence and peered at her with astonishingly innocent lilac eyes.

"C'mon, Blake. _Please_?"

"…Fine."

Her partner let out a loud squeal, making her wince, but she could not prevent the edges of her lips from curling up into a small smile. The enthusiasm was infectious. Blake's face returned to its neutral expression when Yang turned away to converse with the other two. Making sure that she was sufficiently preoccupied, the cat Faunus fished out the scroll from her pocket again and began browsing through the _Vale weekly_ once more. Reading a few more articles wouldn't hurt.

So deep into her reading, Blake failed to notice that the boxer had broken away from the conversation, leaving Ruby and Weiss to their own devices, and was now observing her with a keen stare.

Yang resisted the urge to disturb the girl again. Her brows narrowed in frustration as she watched Blake's mouth twist into sulky lines, probably reading up on the White Fang's recent exploits. She had considered tossing the scroll off the airship at one point, but she'd rather not have her hair get sheared off by Gambol shroud.

Rocking her heels up and down, Yang's mind drifted away as she pondered on Blake's recent bout of paranoia. They had been partners for quite some time now, and Yang was happy to realize that she could more or less discern Blake's moods. The cat Faunus had always been somewhat broody, but the past weeks had taken a turn for the worse. She was alternating between being short-tempered and or just stewing in silence.

It wasn't like Yang didn't know what she was thinking about. She didn't want to butt in on such personal matters; so she resorted to pulling pranks and cheering Blake up when she seemed was a little _too_ depressed. The blonde had also enlisted team JNPR's help, and though it wasn't the best idea she'd ever had, it did keep Blake sufficiently distracted. At least, distracted enough so she wouldn't try to pull a disappearing act and go gallivanting around Vale alone.

"Hey." Ruby called, pulling the boxer out of her thoughts. "We're here!"

"Thanks sis." Yang shot her a bashful smile. "I kinda zoned out there."

"Who cares about that?" The crimson-haired girl squealed in excitement and bounded down the stairs of the airship, pulling her sister along with her. "We're here! Aw yeah, cotton candy, here I come."

Yang tilted her head to grin at Weiss, who looked like she was about to slap the shit out of her hyperactive partner.

"Good luck dealing with her today. Her sugar rush is going to be at an all-time high. Stay strong Weissy, Blake and I will be there for you." She said and snickered. " _There_ , as in sitting down and watching Ruby make you try _every_ ride at the carnival."

"S-Shut up you oaf!"

* * *

The team wandered around the lively carnival, making sure to spend time at the booths each of them were interested in. Weiss had stopped by the fortune teller's twice (Despite her protests that she didn't believe in such nonsense), Ruby's heart got stolen by a litter of puppies they'd came across and Blake had won a prize from every sharp shooting booth they found.

And after nearly two hours of fun, Yang had started to whine about how hungry she was. Everyone acquiesced to her demands, feeling quite in the mood for some snacks as well. After scouring for a stall which did not sell anything greasy or fried, the girls settled on a quaint Chinese stall a little ways further from the mini-Ferris wheel.

"It's been a long time since I had noodles." Sighed Ruby as she twirled her chopsticks eagerly. "And look! They even have the spicy ones for you, Yang!"

The blonde rubbed her hands together in glee. "Seriously? Awesome. Did ya hear that Weiss?"

"Quiet down will you!" The Schnee heiress hissed, "And yes, I heard you. I already took the liberty of placing our orders."

She gestured to the old man standing on the other side of the counter. He shot them a toothless smile, his head bobbing up and down. Replying with a curt nod of her own, Weiss turned to see Blake mulling over the menu.

"What about you, Blake? I don't suppose that you're ready to order. The two _fiends_ -" She glared at the pair who were bouncing up and down the rickety wooden chairs, "need sustenance before they start kicking up a fuss again."

The cat Faunus sighed. "…I'm not really in the mood for Chinese."

"Do you want me to accompany you to another stall? Perhaps you'll be able to find something you like there."

Blake looked at the heiress in surprise. "…Who are you and what have you done with Weiss?"

"How rude." Weiss rolled her eyes. "I trying to be thoughtful. So, what would you like?"

She shrugged. "I'll leave it up to you. Surprise me."

Blue eyes gleamed at the challenge. Weiss smirked and folded her arms under her chest, tilting her nose up in a way which made Blake sigh. She leaned across the counter and relayed the special order to the proprietor of the stall, and with a flick of her wrist, brandished a gleaming silver card.

The old man gingerly took the expensive looking card from her grip, and made his way toward the cash register. On the way there, he tossed several slips of paper through the small window which lead into the make-shift kitchen and yelled out some foreign sounding words. Ruby and Yang bounced in their seats eagerly, eying the window with glee apparent on their faces and a hungry gleam in their eyes.

Weiss snorted. "Will you both stop-"

She yelped when a large porcelain bowl dropped in front of her. Looking up, her eyes widened when she came face to chest with a heavy set man wearing an apron, who promptly deposited two more bowls in front of Ruby and Yang respectively.

"Finally!"

"Yay!"

The heiress cringed at the two, who had started slurping down their noodles. Muttering under her breath and rolling her eyes at their actions, she carefully split apart her wooden chopsticks and was prepared to start on her meal, when someone grabbed her wrist.

"You didn't order for me?" Asked Blake incredulously.

"What do you take me for? Of course I did."

"Then…" Blake gestured to the empty space in front of her, her eyebrows pinching in confusion. Weiss was about to reply when the sound of footsteps approached them, and the loud thud of the bowl meeting the counter made the other members of team RWBY looked up from their noodles. Ruby gaped and Yang whistled. The blonde had to force down the laughter bubbling in her throat when she took in the expression on Blake's face.

She stared at the bowl, the white of the noodles peeking out from underneath the crispy browns of the grilled fish. Weiss smiled smugly, and patted her friend's arm. Blake said nothing, but one would swear that her small black bow had risen by several inches.

The cat Faunus didn't even register the heiress pushing a pair of chopsticks into her hands, and she hovered over the bowl with a predatory look on her face. She dived in.

…and met the grainy wood of the counter.

"What?!" she snarled. Who was the piece of dead meat who stole her rightful prey away?

The old man glowered at Weiss, while the heavy set man held the large bowl in his oily hands. He gestured to the card, and shook his head. The heiress responded with a small sigh and an even smaller blush. She turned to the rest of her team and ground out,

"I only have enough for mine."

While everyone grudgingly dug their pockets for some spare change, Blake pulled her wallet out with a fierce look on her face, and withered when all that greeted her was a fear pathetic coins. She felt her face fall and her hopes with it. She shouldn't have spent all her money at those booths.

"Blake!"

The girl look up tiredly when her name was called. Looking past the embarrassed face of Weiss, amber eyes met cheerful lilac ones. Yang grinned and waved, the lien in her hand flapping against the wind.

"It's on me! Eat up, partner!" Said the boxer as she handed the money over.

And then the bowl was placed back in front of her, the delectable scent hitting her with full force once more. Gracing Yang with a wide eyed look that made her chuckle, Blake let out a pleased purr and turned her full attention on her meal. Cupping the porcelain with one hand to ensure that it didn't get taken again, she began chomping on the fish with a fervour.

Meanwhile, Weiss felt her face burn as she held out her hand, to which Ruby cheerily dumped several crumpled notes into it. She laughed when the heiress shot her an annoyed look.

"You're welcome, Weiss!"

"Oh be quiet you," Weiss growled, trying not to squirm underneath the understanding gaze. "Let's just get this over with. The sooner we finish our food, the sooner we can get back to enjoying the carnival."

* * *

Surprisingly enough, they'd ended up meeting with team JNPR, who were kind enough to share their credits so that they could all enjoy the few entertainment sources they hadn't tried yet. Yang smiled as her sister chatted animatedly with the even more energetic Nora, but that smile quickly faded to be replaced with a look of annoyance as she caught a glimpse of Blake…who was yet again staring down at her scroll, mouthing words to herself, and looking quite disturbed.

Yang sighed. Talking over the details of their next destination for a bit with Pyrrha and Jaune, she stealthily crept up behind Blake and proceeded to swipe the scrolls from her hands.

The Faunus looked up, her pupils slit in irritation. Blake opened her mouth open to ask what Yang thought she was doing... just in time to see the blonde's own scroll come down and smack her lightly right between her hidden ears.

Blake yowled and clutched at the place the scroll had struck. "What the abyss!" she yelled through teary eyes, cradling her head defensively. Yang threateningly pointed at her with both scrolls in her hands, looking mildly amused. But there was an undercurrent of stell underneath her gaze that seemed sterner if anything. In fact, Blake thought it looked quite out of place and...maybe even a little intimidating.

Yang glowered, "You have had your nose glued to this damned scroll all morning partner! Didn't I tell you to tone the detective work down on the airship? You didn't even crack a smile when Ruby got swarmed by the puppies and they took her away to be their queen!"

Blake blinked. _'When did that happen?'  
_  
She shook herself and returned Yang's glower fully.

"I'm not like you Yang! I'm not comfortable expressing myself like that. Believe me, I'm having a good time, but there are things going on in the world that I need to pay attention to. It's not all sunshine and daffodils okay? I need-"

Yang cut her off by levelling a scroll at her nose, ready to strike yet again, and Blake began to wonder if Zwei had to go through this with her as well, and felt a surge of pity for the poor mutt.

"If things were actually that important, you wouldn't be here at all! You'd be out there doing whatever you could, right in the thick of things trying to right whatever wrongs that grabbed your attention this time, but you're not. You are right here with us, bringing everyone else down with your half-assed attempts to pretend like you actually care about everything that's going on around you. So you either get more into the groove of things or join us in our quest for fun. If not…" Yang's voice trailed off.

Blake shivered at the look in her partner's lilac eyes, and licked her lips before asking "Or else what?" Yang smiled. It was not a nice smile by any stretch of the imagination.

"You really don't want to know my fish luvin darlin." She purred.

Yang handed Blake's scrolls back to her, and holstered her own with a twirl, as though she were a gunfighter from the Wild West.

"Now c'mon, we got some real fun to attend to now, and be sure to turn your scroll off, you don't want any distractions for what comes next."

Blake reluctantly did as Yang requested. Reluctant because she was rather expecting that she'd stay in touch with her contact who was looking into the strange occurrences for her... but it had been a while since she'd really devoted herself to some actual fun like Yang desired, and he should be alright, he was only observing after all.

"Alright, it's off... so what exactly comes next?"

Yang grinned, her smile sending a shiver of fear down Blake's spine.

"Let's hope you have a stomach of steel, my dear partner. Because we're going to ride _that_!"

She pointed to the relatively tall roller coaster that was modelled after the shape of a King Taijitsu. Blake felt herself go green when she saw the small, shrieking forms of its victims flailing for their lives.

Needless to say, Blake had a feeling that she wouldn't arrive at Beacon later tonight in one piece.

* * *

 _Next morning – Beacon, 11 00_

* * *

The first year students shuffled nervously in their seats as Professor Goodwitch stalked around the enclosed area, once again reciting the rules of the arena. She frowned when she took in the form of her stiff and tense students and sighed, slapping the riding crop against her open palm. The resounding smack made everyone jump, and they all turned their focus on her fully, eyes wide with slight fear and trepidation.

"All right students, we shall be resuming our individual spars today." She spoke curtly, "And of course, I hope you've all rested well enough to volunteer today. A show of hands? Who would like to go first?"

Glynda watched the crowd of students expectantly, until one such hand was raised high in the air.

"I would like to volunteer myself professor." Weiss straightened when the steely gaze fell upon her.

"Very well. And your sparring partner would be…?"

"I want to spar against her." Blake spoke up, rolling her eyes when Weiss shot her a pleased grin. The heiress was becoming as battle hungry as Ruby, if the way she was holding Myrtenaster was any indication. If she looked any more eager than she already was, Blake would have mistaken her for a starving Beowulf.

"Very well. Miss Belladonna and Miss Schnee, please proceed up to the platform." Glynda nodded, turning her back on the students to stride up the smaller set of steps leading up to the judge's platform.

"Woo! Kick her butt Weiss!" Ruby cheered, drawing a small sigh from the heiress. Yang smiled at Blake's deadpan and leaned in to whisper.

"Don't worry Blake, I'm on your side." Yang grinned, giving her a none too subtle thumbs up. The cat Faunus felt a smattering of warmth fill her chest, and turned away to hide her blush. The other girl really knew just what to say to make her feel…special, for the lack of a better word.

"Ruby!" Weiss snapped, trying to get her own partner to settle down. "I swear if you start yelling instructions again…"

"When are you gonna let that go?" Ruby pouted. "I promised not to do that anymore, didn't I? Ohh but remember to use the fancy stab move that you showed me." The girl mimicked the action which drew a low groan from Weiss. "It was _awesome_."

Blake looked toward the two of them in amusement, and pulled Weiss away before she exploded, and by the redness in Weiss's cheeks, the cat Faunus knew that it was only a matter of time.

"Good luck out there Weiss." Blake offered as they made their way up the platform.

They could hear the crowd of students stirring behind them, everyone banking on which huntress in training would come out on top this time.

"Why, Blake belladonna. Are you baiting me?" Said Weiss in a mock horrified voice, a perfectly trimmed brow rising. "How surprising. I think some of Yang's more irritating tendencies is starting to rub off on you."

Blake smiled at the joking tone in the heiress's voice and opened her mouth to reply, when a bloody, battered form tumbled through the door.


	3. Chapter 2

"How is he doing?" Ruby asked quietly, shooting the blue-haired boy a worried glance.

Neptune shifted from foot to foot, frazzled to the point where his eyes darted about. He shook his head, his teeth close to drawing blood as he bit his lip. "He's still in surgery. I haven't heard a thing since they brought him in." He whispered lowly.

Ruby patted his back gently. Though Neptune usually towered over her, he seemed exceptionally small now, his figure hunched over and shoulders tense. Across the narrow hallway, the remaining members of team RWBY were draped over waiting chairs, each one of their faces displaying various degrees of worry. Blake was the worst off, her nails digging deeply into her thigh.

Yang nudged her shoulder in a gesture of comfort, her eyebrows furrowing further when the action made her partner sway limply.

"He'll be fine." She reassured, placing a firm hand on Blake's shoulder.

The cat Faunus breathed in deeply. She could sense the underlying doubt in Yang's voice, and made her shiver involuntarily. She tossed the blonde a weak smile, running a hand through her hair. "I hope so. Sun couldn't even talk…it's a miracle that he could even move." Blake said, her gaze shifting downwards to stare at the floor. With one elbow planted on her thigh she massaged her jaw, trying her best to unclench them.

The rhythmic tap of footsteps made her look up again, the hairs on the back of her neck rising when she saw how Neptune was looking at her. His hair was tousled, he'd rushed out of class the instant he heard about Sun, and there was an angry spark in his eyes that made her wary. Yang folded her arms, eyeing him. There was a calm fury radiating off of him, and the way he was glaring at Blake set her teeth on edge and sent her protectiveness into overdrive.

"Blake." He gritted out, "We need to talk. _Privately_."

As if knowing the reason for his hostility, she nodded. But before she could stand up, Yang stood first, literally forcing herself between the two and blocking Blake from the boy's fierce gaze. She scowled. "If you wanna talk, you can do it right here."

"Yang this is personal." He glowered.

"Do I look like I care? You're acting as if you're about to rip her head off." Yang said, her shoulders tensing as they stared each other down.

"Yang…" Blake warned, trying to get her partner to move. "We just need to talk for a minute alright?"

"Actually, I agree with Yang." Ruby butted in, making her way over to them. "Right, Weiss?"

The heiress nodded, smoothing out the wrinkles of her skirt. She was seated beside Yang and was peering up at the trio, taking note of their pinched expressions.

Realizing that they weren't going to budge, Neptune shook his head. "Whatever." He mumbled, breaking his gaze from Yang's. When the blonde moved to sit down once more, the boy was rewarded with the sight of an anxious cat Faunus. He glared daggers at Blake, his agitation only increasing when she refused to meet his eyes.

"You promised me," He began, "That you would look out for Sun."

She sighed. "I did."

"Well you did a goddamn shit job of that! He's in fucking _surgery_ -" He pointed at the large double doors, the illuminated sign hanging above them too bright for her sensitive eyes. "-and I don't even know if he'll make it."

Neptune paused to take in a deep breath to steady himself, aware of how emotional he was becoming.

"I'm scared too!" Blake snapped, "Don't you think I feel _horrible_ for letting this happen? He's my friend too, Neptune! Sun was only supposed to follow them, and I thought he was already back at Beacon after we got back from the carnival."

Her ribbon twitched, drawing his attention to them for a few scant seconds. She could feel the gaze of her teammates on her, and it wasn't a pleasant feeling.

Neptune growled. "Well you shouldn't have dragged him into this! This is _your_ problem, not his! Or mine! Now the idiot's gone and hurt himself, and you're sitting here all fine and dandy."

"Hey hey hey." Yang interrupted. "What the heck are y'all talking about?"

His gaze sharpened, and he let out a raspy laugh. "And I'm guessing that they don't know what you've been up to eh? Some friend you are."

The three of them exchanged equally confused looks. Blake sighed raggedly as the blue-haired boy turned toward them with a look that was part guilty and part satisfied. "Sun and Blake have been gathering info on the White fang."

Weiss looked affronted and Ruby gasped. Yang could feel her semblance activating as her anger spiked, crimson bleeding into her lilac orbs. The fact that Blake didn't even try to defend herself was the silent acknowledgement that what he said was undoubtedly true.

"We've talked about this, Blake." She bit out, "What happened to being a good teammate?"

Blake winced at the hurt in her partner's voice, "I-I'm sor-"

"How could you?" Ruby wailed, her words muffled by the cloak as she buried her face in it. "You'd promised!"

"What were you thinking…?" Weiss shook her head, her voice cold.

Neptune felt a surge of guilt when he took in their reactions. A small part of him was congratulating himself for making Blake suffer for her actions, but he knew that she couldn't be blamed entirely for what happened. But what was done was done, and he watched as team RWBY crumbled before his very eyes.

"Once we get back-" Yang stared at Blake pointedly, sighing at the distress in her amber eyes. Her anger faded at the sight, and she shook her head to clear the unflattering thoughts that'd popped out of nowhere. "We're going to have a _long_ talk."

The cat Faunus sighed. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Are you the students who brought in Sun Wukong?" The deep baritone voice made everyone jump, the suddenness of the question breaking the gloomy atmosphere around them. The doctor wore a sympathetic look and hiked a thumb over his shoulder. They looked to where he was pointing and saw the pale, blonde hair of the resident monkey Faunus contrasting against the sharp whites of the pillow.

"He will come to very soon. The surgery was a success, there were no complications. You can stop by the infirmary to check in on him." He paused. "You can probably see him if you asked nicely enough."

Neptune nodded gratefully. "Thank you." He said.

The man waved, looking slightly embarrassed. "We're just doing our jobs. Now you students should be going, this place isn't a good place to hang around. Oh and please report to the headmistress soon. Preferably tomorrow or the day after."

"Will do sir!" Ruby gave him a one armed salute, making him chuckle. As the doctor sped away, Blake gave everyone a once over. She sighed, taking in their stiff postures and the disappointment painted clearly across Yang's face. She could only hope the blonde wouldn't punch her too hard when it was time for the 'talk'.


	4. Chapter 3

Everyone in the room jumped to their feet when Sun blinked awake. Neptune was by his side in an instant, white-knuckled and staring down at his partner with heavy relief. Blake reacted the same way, rushing to his side the moment his hand twitched. Her bow twitched anxiously, her cat ears straightening to attention when he let out a pained groan.

Blake also noticed that strangely enough her friend seemed to smell of faintly spoiled milk.

In a burst of rose petals, Ruby was standing beside Neptune, a glass of warm water in her hands. "Here." She handed it to him, and he shot her a grateful smile before accepting it. He slipped in a straw that was on his bedside table and gently lowered one end of it to Sun.

"Drink up, buddy." He said. "You must be thirsty as hell."

To his surprise, the monkey faunus flinched and eyed the glass like it contained poison. He took a quick sip, and made a face when Neptune offered it to him again. The blue-haired boy gave him a worried frown, but put the cup down anyway. Sun looked at the faces gathered around him, blinking rapidly in confusion. His vision finally cleared, and he found himself staring into the anxious faces of team RWBY and his partner.

He grinned weakly. "What did I miss?"

Everyone sagged in relief. Yang even chuckled. Now there was the goofball they knew.

"Just the grilling of one cat Faunus." Weiss answered, rolling her eyes when Blake glared. The heiress was still feeling a bit peeved at the moment, tensions still running high after the revelation outside the emergency room. Sun sank a bit at that, his cheerful demeanour faltering slightly. "Oh. Er…" He swallowed, trying and failing to look innocent. Blake shook her head, a small smile forming when she realised what he was trying to do.

"It's alright Sun." She soothed. "They found out."

He winced. Damn. She was definitely in a shitload of trouble, judging by the glint of anger present in everyone's eyes. "Kay, firstly. This wasn't Blake's fault." When Neptune visibly bristled and opened his mouth, Sun wacked his stomach lightly. There was barely any strength in the hit, and it made him even more worried.

"Upupup. It's not her fault okay? She told me not to follow them but I did anyway. It's not like she forced me to help her or anything. I was the one who was tagging along when she went out to gather info and stuff." He told them, wincing when he reached up to touch his bandaged head. "Should have listened though, those guys were pretty freaky. And dangerous."

"You don't have to tell us about it now." Blake's knee jerk reaction was to answer when she saw a dark look flit across his face. "You should get some rest."

Sun smiled and shook his head. "Nah, I rather tell you guys what happened while it's still fresh. Don't wanna forget any important details." He gestured at them to take a seat. "This is gonna take a while." He said when he received looks of confusion.

Everyone, save for Neptune and Blake, took a seat on the chairs lined against the wall which were adjacent to the bed. The cat Faunus sighed, and leaned against the wall. Neptune mimicked her movements, though the space between him and his partner was much smaller. His protective instincts were in overdrive, and the urge to coddle the monkey Faunus was almost overwhelming. Sun seemed to have noticed this and rolled his eyes, but he shot the blue-haired boy a large grin before recounting what happened to his fellow classmates.

* * *

Sun crept through the dark streets of Vale. In front of him were three unknown Faunus that were suspected of being members of the White Fang. He had been following them for over an hour now and was bored as hell. No matter what they did it was like there was no point to it. They would go into a store, not buy anything and then leave. They would then go into an alleyway only to leave literally a minute later. Top it all off a certain black cat Faunus would check up on him almost every five minutes; at least that's what it felt like at the time.

His scroll vibrated again and lo and behold it was Blake.

' _What's happening_?' she wrote.

' _Nothing, they just keep walking around and bitching about the heat_ ' he answered, making sure to keep his eyes on the trio.

"Damn this heat is a bitch I wish we'd get some action already." one of them said; on que. Sun rolled his eyes. This bunch were as interesting as a sack of potatoes.

' _BTW shouldn't you be enjoying the fair?_ ' Sun wrote, cringing when one of the Faunus spat on the ground after clearing his throat.

His scroll vibrated. ' _Be quiet you_.' Was Blake's reply, and he smiled wryly when her irritated face flickered in his mind's eye. Sun could almost feel Blake gritting her teeth at him.

He looked up and noticed just in time that his targets had turned down another alleyway.

' _Hold on they turned a corner, brb_.'

He jumped to a nearby rooftop and observed the three figures enter a building. The next image he saw was Roman Torchwick. Now Blake had told him time and time again to never go into an actual building, but this was the best lead they had since God knows when.

He examined the outside of the building and found an air vent that had its grate removed. Probably left the way it was by some disgruntled maintenance man. Well, it was good luck anyhow. He didn't need breaking and entering on his long list of sort-of crimes. He jumped into the duct and proceeded to follow his quarry.

As he crawled through the dingy vent, the Faunus grimaced whenever his head brushed against thick layers of cobwebs and squirmed, trying to get them out of his hair. After crawling for what seemed like forever, he finally came across a grate which allowed in small patches of light. It reminded him of a horror game once played, and fought down a shiver.

Sun peered out of it, clicking his teeth at how little he could see. Fortunately... or Unfortunately depending on your point of view, he had quite accidentally found his way into a duct overlooking the men's room, where Torchwick, and a chatty grey haired boy who seemed somehow familiar, were busy doing their business. Sun had to fight back a snicker as he inadvertently got a glimpse at the grey haired one's junk, feeling a primitive sort of pride in seeing how he and the boy measured up... that pride was soon blown to pathetic smithereens and irradiated to hell and back when he made the mistake of taking a peek at what Roman was packing. _My gods... he could beat an Ursi to death with that!_ While Sun was busy feeling sorry for himself, Roman was just finishing up his business when one of his men called to him from outside.

"What do you want?" Roman asked, shutting the door behind him.

"I came to inform you that your err... special guests have arrived and frankly sir, they scare the fuck outta me." he reported.

Roman made a snide remark to the soldier before leaving to meet his guests.

Sun was confused as to why the soldier was so nervous about these three Faunus. It wasn't a discomfort from being around 'faunus' but it was more of a thinly veiled wariness that seemed out of place if he'd been working with the likes of assassins. He would soon find his answer when he followed Roman via ventilation, anticipation building in his chest. This was going to be _big_.

Sun finally came to a stop when he turned down the vent that lead into the room. Despite his limited vision, he could make out the voices of the room's occupants, and fought to control his breathing as he strained his ears to catch what they were saying.

The grate was slightly larger than the previous one, and despite its pathetic view radius Sun was able to steal several glances at Roman's guests. As he looked down a shiver went up his spine. It wasn't out of fear it was out of instinct; there was just something not right about the three Faunus. The first one was a reptilian Faunus that was far taller than the other two. Even from his position, Sun could tell that there was a dangerous air about him, a feeling further enhanced by his ridiculously muscled and imposing figure _he must be at least 6 foot eight, maybe 7!_ Sun didn't even want to ponder what the hell that one could be packing downstairs, for the sake his sanity..

The next one was a strange amphibious Faunus that had an unusually large smile. Her skin was covered in a slimy, mucus like substance that made her shine under the light. It reminded him of a glowstick whose glow had begun to fade away. Her skin also appeared to... somehow absorbe the colors in the room, and it seemed somehow just a bit dimmer possibly around her despite the mild glow, though that could have been a trick of the light.

Finally the last one seemed out of place in the strange trio. She was somewhat meek and looked rather sad and pitiful. However, Sun noticed that her talons looked like razor blades and her eyes would dart around the room at every change in color, motion, or other minor alteration. He groaned. Why was it always the quiet ones that seemed a little stir crazy?

"–the warehouse?"

Sun cursed inwardly. He got too caught up with observing the three, and pressed his ears against the vent in hopes of catching the rest of their conversation. Unfortunately, the vent was much too high up to clearly hear what they were saying, and it didn't help that the room didn't seem to give off much of an echo either.

"–arget is a real bitch." One of the females rasped. "And real stupid too. I'm surpri–"

"Affirmative. The guards are going to be spread thin so–"

" _Wait_." The male suddenly called out. He had been watching idly from the side, looking rather bored until his unnaturally long tongue slid out to wet his lips. Then he had spoken up. He had a very rather... thoughtful expression, and his body language was tense.

Sun's muscles were suddenly seized by an intense shiver that rattled his teeth. The voice was cold, but there was an undertone of smugness and ruthlessness that made his skin tingle and the hair on the back of his neck stand on an end. He bit his lip, realizing that the room had gone silent when the male Faunus had spoken. Well this couldn't be good.

The reptile ran his tongue along his lips once more, quite languidly this time, and almost seemed to... probe the air with it. It was at times like these, that Sun really wished he had paid more attention in biology class.

"Sir," the reptile spoke up, "You wouldn't happen to have any other Fauni in the building would you? I...have an idea, and I could use the aid of one... perhaps of the more simian variety."

The chills were getting stronger.

Roman frowned, "I think Bob in accounting might be a mole... or maybe some kind of weasel, but that's about the only Faunus I'm aware of, let alone any of the monkey variety."

The reptile smiled... it was a very incredibly bone chilling expression, one that told Sun that... he'd been here for far too long. He began shuffling backwards.

He grimaced. The vent was too small for him to turn around. At this rate, he would be crawling backwards until–

There was a sickening crunch of metal before the position Sun had previously been in was split open. He yelped as the vent was broken into two, and what had once been a steady straight line of endless vents became tilted, and like some sort of sick survival movie, he found himself sliding down the slippery metal.

"Oh fuck oh _fuck_ –" He backpedalled, trying to put as much distance from the hole as humanly possible. It was a difficult, considering that his palms were slick with sweat and the vent was trembling like it'd been hit by a mini earthquake. As luck would have it, Sun narrowly avoided being dropped into the same room as the four criminals and was instead dumped into the hallway when the entire vent collapsed.

He pulled himself from the rubble and rubbed his arms lightly. Aura certainly came in handy, though it probably wouldn't have done much of a difference if he was thrown off a cliff. He would take what he could get at least, Sun was just glad he wasn't thrown into the same room with Roman and his pals. Pushing himself up, the boy tried to regain his bearings just as the wall in front of him exploded, chunks of plaster flying in all directions that were accompanied by a storm of dust particles.

"There you are, you little chimp."

The figure stepped out of the gargantuan hole in the wall, the thud of heavy footsteps and small cracking of knuckles setting his teeth on edge. Sun felt his stomach drop when the Faunus came into view.

The male Faunus was distinctly reptilian, and Sun had to _look up_ to see the face of his aggressor. Up close, the man... if that was even the right word for him, even bigger up close, definitely 7 feet at least, let his forked tongue shoot out of his mouth to taste the air, displaying horrifyingly sharp teeth that lined his entire jaw. Scales covered the entirety of his arms and shoulders, only the torso, head and legs looking remotely human. And even then, Sun wasn't sure since he was wearing long, black pants. It was the first time he'd seen a Faunus like _this_. More animal than human.

Without so much as a warning, a fist came rocketing towards him, and Sun barely dodged; stumbling away and feeling the debris from the attack hit his cheek. Regaining his footing, Sun gaped at the crater in the wall, the fist sized hole connected by a spider web of cracks spreading far and wide. Okay, so he was _definitely_ going to be dodging most, if not all of the Faunus's attacks.

Whipping out his staff, he ducked under the incoming fist and smashed it into his opponent's body as many times as he could before jumping back. To his dismay, the attacks barely even left a scratch on the reptile, and it seemed to have annoyed him more than it did hinder him. What the hell were those scales made of?

He didn't have much time to ponder on that however, when he was slammed into the wall when he failed to avoid the shoulder charge. Sun gasped when he was flung back like a ragdoll, his body meeting the wall with a noise akin to the sound of a sledgehammer meeting a cement block. His ribs were absolutely screaming now, and had to prop his body up with his staff. The reptile Faunus no longer seemed stoic, but was now grinning almost smugly. The grin disappeared when Sun landed a solid shot, the boy leaning against the wall with his staff now in its gun chuck form.

Sun didn't bother waiting for the reptile to regain his bearings and quickly limped with as much speed as he could muster down the opposite direction, eyes darting around in search of a window of some sort. His hopes were dashed when he found none, just walls and walls of ugly beige. It felt like a prison, and he was its captive. The fear in his gut tripled when there a deafening roar sounded from behind him. Against his better judgement, Sun looked behind his shoulder to see the Faunus charging straight at him, eyes screaming murder.

The reptile only seemed to get angrier when Sun ducked and rolled out of harm's way, Sun's reflexes being much faster than his own. The frustration inside him began to mount, and to Sun's horror, it only made the attack all the more terrifying; the reptile clawing and punching his way through the walls in an attempt to catch hold of him.

The walls tore as easily as paper mache under the attacks, and Sun opted to use his gunchucks as he scrambled away from the beast, his ribs throbbing from the exertion. There was little time to nurse his wounds however. Sun stared up at the grey metal doors of the lift in terror, and mashed the small buttons with increasing panic as the reptile got closer. A large chunk of the wall soon came soaring towards him, its jagged edges hooking into Sun's exposed arm and tearing off a patch of skin.

Blood spurting out of the wound, the monkey Faunus tried to stem the bleeding by wrapping it with his shirt, tearing off his sleeve in the process. He pressed himself lower into the floor when another large chunk of plaster was thrown, and winced at the loud bang that followed. A glance behind showed that the lift's doors were ripped off its hinges, a series of crashes A low whirring sound followed, the thick cables were undisturbed, still operating under the guise of normality.

The reptile roared once more and charged towards him. Sun only had to look between the Faunus and the open door before flinging himself into it. It was just as well, Sun hit the metal top of the lift with an oof before the reptile disappeared out of sight, the lift descending downwards.

Sun collapsed on the elevator, gasping, feeling genuinely as if his heart were about to beat its way right out of his chest.

He hadn't felt that stressed since... ever. Even facing Roman and his goons at the docks hadn't brought such terror to him.

He was just starting to get to his feet, when the elevator came to a sudden jerking halt beneath him and he stumbled, almost falling over the side. He looked up, and felt his blood run cold, as his gaze found the source of the issue.

The reptile had gotten a hold of the cable in one massive fist, and...actually seemed to be pulling the elevator up so that he could inspect it.

Sun couldn't see the reptile's eyes... but he could sure as hell see the gleam of his brilliantly white and wickedly sharp teeth as the bastard smiled, then proceeded to bite down on the cable in his grip.

* * *

"So...you ever wonder why we're here?" The guard named Todd asked of his companion.

"Great question, glad you asked, it's one of life's greatest mysteries after all ain't it, why are we here?" His companion Remeo sighed, "Are we the by-product of some great cosmic coincidence, or is there really a God out there, with a plan for us and all that...I dunno man, but it keeps me up at night."

Todd just stared at his long time comrade. "...What? I meant why are we here... right here in this building, guarding a bunch of false documents, some pencil pushers, and that asshole Roman. We're trained soldiers god damn it, not rentacops after all. What the hell was all that shit about god?" He snorted.

Remo flushed and was busily trying to look anywhere else but at his partner's gaze, when a loud rumble and roar came from above. "By the abyss," Todd swore, "The big guy's at it again... you don't think that they're gonna ask us to clean up after him do you?"

Remo shrugged, grateful for the subject change. "Boss does what the boss does, I'll just be happy if he asks us to do it, while that monster is off terrorizing innocent mooks elsewhere."

"Good point, but still why the hell are we here? I mean I get that this place needs guarding, but what the fuck do they need actual soldiers here for? I mean doesn't that just make this place all the more suspicious looking, and another thing–" He was cut off abruptly when a tremendous crash came directly from behind them where the elevator was situated, followed shortly thereafter with a triumphant formidable roar.

"Err... how about we wonder why we're here while we're busy searching for suspicious noises somewhere else kay?" Remo asked nervously, "Anywhere else." He repeated, dragging his comrade far away from what remained of the lift.

* * *

Sun stumbled forth from between the battered elevator doors, wheezing and trying not to cough his lungs out, plaster dust covering him over from head to toe and threatening to smother him. It was like a thick blanket had been draped over him, blurring his vision and coating his lungs with dust particles.

The Faunus looked around blearily, ears ringing like the bells of the Devil's own personal jester. He could dimly make out light...natural light from the sun outside the building and felt a flicker of hope pass through him. Sun lurched towards the light, ignoring the fiery aches and sharp pains that shot throughout his body, knowing that a far worse fate awaited him if he stopped to give his battered body the rest it so desperately desired. The door that stood in between him and freedom was easily pushed aside, and he stumbled out of the building – the fresh air and bright sunlight renewing the dwindling vigour in his muscles.

But then, it was as if the blazing light suddenly sprouted hands that reached forward. They gripped him by his jacket in impossibly strong, yet simultaneously flimsy feeling hands that seemed to be covered in slime.

The light vanished suddenly from his gaze, the sun disappearing behind a tall building. Pain flared through his body once more as he was thrown against the brick wall of the death trap he had just escaped.

Sun groaned, multi-coloured rings exploding in his vision, and he just knew that he was at the very least suffering from a concussion. It was hard to discern whether the messed up creature before him, the amphibian girl who'd been with Roman, was just a figment of his imagination or not.

Her skin held a definite sheen to it that spoke of her amphibious nature, and her oddly wide mouth definitely matched the few amphibian Faunus he had met before, but there was something... still definitely present in this girl, that hadn't been in the others he'd met.

Something dangerous, something that made him want to crawl into a tree somewhere and hide.

"Welllll...hmm what do we have here?" she purred even as she twisted them about, and set his back to the nearby brick wall. "A funny, funny little monkey man, giving the big bad dinosaur a tough time, hmmm."

She gave him an appraising look that sent shivers down to his core, and an unusually thick looking tongue slid across and over her thin lips, pausing a for a moment... before darting out with lightning speed and striking him across the face, with surprising force, and he felt something trickle down his cheek. _Had she actually cut him with her tongue?_

"Hmm you taste even better than you look, honey." She shivered with macabre delight. "Definitely gonna keep you."

Before Sun decipher her cryptic sentence, his attention was captured by the sound of metal cracking into bits as his attacker barrelled about through the building, tearing down walls and blowing apart cubicles in an effort to get to his prey. Sun shivered at the sound and tried to shrink into the wall though he knew it was futile. The Faunus could probably smell him even if he were miles underground.

A cough. Followed by a gagging sound.

Sun's attention was stolen away again, and suddenly–

"The fuck?!" He squawked, as the salamander-like girl showered him with a foul smelling liquid. It couldn't be categorized as a liquid if he was honest, the stickiness and ridiculous stench it emanated was enough to send him sprawling to the ground in a heap. She coated him thoroughly and impatiently pulled him to his feet before shoving him against the wall once more. His already spinning head didn't clue him in on the small bit of flesh she'd snagged from his arm, but it was probably better that he didn't notice.

There was another crashing sound, and Sun tried to make a break for it, but barely even managed to shift his feet in the right direction, let alone move his legs, for in the few short seconds since the girl had begun coating him with her viscous slime, it had already hardened to an unbelievable degree, and in a few moments more he knew it would probably be impossible to get him out with anything less than one of Yang's fierce punches.

The salamander girl smirked at a job well done. "Very good... hmmm yess very good indeed. Now be a dear and keep your mouth shut, or else this will all be a waste."

Sun was so stunned by this turn of events he just nodded and did as he was told. She smiled happily, and without further ado, she shot her tongue up into the sky where it glistened under the bright afternoon sun for a moment, before rapidly retracting back into her mouth from whence it came, and suddenly she barfed one last wretched time, covering him this time in faintly glowing slime.

Sun barely had time to blink, before he suddenly found himself disappearing before his very own eyes. His entire body turning more translucent than a jellyfish in a mere matter of seconds, and by the time the reptile Faunus finally burst out into the street, Sun was already as good as gone from mortal sight.

The Salamander girl turned to face her giant comrade, putting on a cool, though wickedly contented expression on her puffed out cheeks, even as she chewed on the slither of flesh she stole from Sun, while idly drawing in deceptively huge lungful's of air even without opening her mouth to full capacity, and filling her body to the point where even she felt ready to burst with it, her bloated stomach making it look as if she were 7 months pregnant or so with twins.

The reptile made a sound of distaste when he spotted his comrade causally leaning against the wall, an ever annoying smirk present on her face.

"Where did the bastard go?" He ground out, brushing the bits of plaster off his knuckles. "Can't smell him anywhere."

Pretending to roll her eyes, she pretended to gag and spat out the flesh she'd placed inside her mouth earlier and smacked her lips noisily. "Of course you can't. He's right here." She patted her stomach. "Stomach acids are a wonderful thing. You aren't the only one who can swallow their prey whole you know." She finished smirking while patting her newly distended stomach.

The larger reptile let out a suffering groan and glared at her. He'd gone through all that trouble and ended up with nothing to show for it. "Damn you." He grumbled, folding his arms as the adrenaline faded from his eyes. Turning around, he accessed the damage coolly and levelled her with a look that made her body tense.

"We've got to go. Torchwick is going to be annoyed with us now, and we still need to talk over the rest of the details regarding the package, and its transportation." The salamander rolled her eyes, "You rob one Schnee warehouse, you rob them all, and can't we skip the briefing and go straight to the napping and waiting?"

The lizard man growled, "It's different this time. It's not only is it an asset to us, it's a potential threat." The reptile leaned forward to growl directly into the amphibian girl's face, and she winced at the carrion-eater smell that washed over her nostrils. "We cannot let the Schnees get their filthy human hands on it, now get your slime covered ass up to the office, while I check the building for more traitors, I don't care how fat you are, if you're not waiting there when I finish, I'm going to have myself a meal after all."

"Why Mane," the salamander drawled, "I didn't know you even liked me that way, I'm flattered dear, but you are sooo not my type... I like mine with hair... golden hair is my favorite." she smirked, and Sun shivered.

What passed for the scaly giant's eyebrow twitched, and he growled, "Don't call me that you cannibalizing skank, and don't forget who owns you." Then strode off back into the building to vent his ire on the nearest poor sap that sparked his attention.

The salamander girl pouted, "Meanie, he didn't have to get nasty and start calling me names, I mean skank really?" she shook her head, "I just have a good luvin heart that can't stop from lovin when I see someone I could love."

She sniffed, before turning back to Sun, "Anyhow, sadly we must part now, do me the huge, _huge_ favour of surviving the next few hours, could you do that for me sweetie? That's a dear." she patted him low on the stomach, just above his pelvic bone, before heading off back into the building. "Be back for you, when I can!" She called out, giving him a small wave before disappearing into the building.

* * *

"What happened after that?" Neptune asked, finally deciding to interrupt. He had enough of hearing how his friend cheated death. Sun winced at the harshness in Neptune's tone, his hand going to rub his nose as he recalled what happened next.

"Well, luckily enough for me, a truck carrying a tank full of milk crashed nearby, and the milk somehow dissolved the sludge covering me, though it also nearly drowned me."

Yang elbowed Ruby in the ribs, "Told you too much milk could be bad for you." she joked.

"Too true," Sun laughed, wincing at this invoked from his cracked ribs. "Anyways... then I crawled my way here through the various alleyways, doing my best to avoid any White Fang lookouts, and you know the rest."

Blake shook her head in disbelief, still amazed that Sun had managed to crawl back to Beacon after everything he'd been through. Any lesser person would have just waited for the authorities to find them.

"We need to tell Headmaster Ozpin that we had nothing to do with this." Weiss huffed. "You need to tell him what you've been up to, Blake. Take responsibility for your actions at the very least."

All eyes in the room turned to the cat Faunus, some of the gazes more intense than others.

Heaving a large sigh that seemed to make the room shake, amber eyes narrowed as Blake grimaced.

"Alright fine." She snapped before turning, and leading them out herself to the headmaster's office, inwardly steeling herself, prepared to face the consequences.

* * *

 **The Grinning Psychopath: WHHOOOO! yeah that was fun ladies, gentlebeings, and monsters, and jedi and all. Eh hope you all really enjoyed this chapter. Our apologies for it taking so long, eh life's just been a real bitch to us lately. Special thanks to the author SHDW productions, who is now assisting us in this ambitious venture of ours. heh hope to have a helluva lot more to you soon.**

 **jin0uga: Super long chapter for you guys, sorry for the late update! A huge thanks to SHDW productions for assisting us in this chap, lots of love for ya! As always, thanks for reading, reviewing, following and favouriting (is this a word?) and I hope you've enjoyed the latest chapter.**


	5. Chapter 4

Blake paused just outside the elevator that led to Ozpin's office. She knew that it would be rude to keep him waiting, but her nervousness was strong enough to impair any or all possible motor functions. Her unwillingness was soon overpowered by resignation. Steeling herself for what was to come, she pressed the buzzer located beside the elevator button.

" _You may come up, Miss Belladonna."_ Ozpin's voice dripped from the intercom above the buzzer.

She nodded even though she knew he couldn't see her. Or maybe he could? Perhaps there were some hidden cameras...

Blake shook her head as she entered the elevator. She'd have to worry about that later. The doors closed with a sense of finality and she bit her lip in trepidation. The steel prison journeyed upwards, to the man who seemed to know everything. Maybe he would help her, or maybe he would try to stop her. The headmaster had made his opinion clear in matters like before.

The lift jerked to a stop. She jumped when the door slid open without a sound, smoothly revealing the headmaster's office. Blake stepped forward and felt her heart plummet to her stomach. Ozpin's chair was turned away from her, the man leaning against the backrest as he stared out the window. He cut an imposing figure despite sitting.

"Welcome Miss belladonna. Come. Sit." He said calmly, not turning around. Blake slowly entered and sat in one of the two empty chairs that greeted her. Ozpin didn't say anything, gazing out into the distance for a few more moments. After several beats of silence, he turned to face her, but not before taking a sip from his mug. The cat Faunus wondered how he could make that action seem intimidating. Tired eyes bore into her.

"I know why Mr Wukong was injured." Ozpin began. "Your team and Mr Vasilias were kind enough to inform me of what transpired. Given his youth and desire to please you, as well as your shared desire to bring down the White Fang, I can see why he did it. It was unwise on his part, but I understand the reasoning behind it. He saw the chance to make some progress, and he took it."

Blake shifted in her seat uncomfortably when the headmaster shook his head. "What I want to know though, is _why_ you would send him into such a potentially dangerous situation? If you wish to get into such a dangerous plot with your team, than at least you have each other. But to send in Mr Wukong alone…that is very reckless, even for you."

"It was his choice." Blake snapped. "I didn't force him to do anything. And also, you can't pretend that you haven't done the same on multiple occasions."

"Do not take that tone with me, Miss Belladonna." Ozpin replied quietly. His voice was soft but the undercurrent of steel in it instantly set Blake on edge. She bit down the rest of her comments. "I only do such things when I know the people I send in are capable of handling themselves. You sent a _student_ – or should I say, a huntsman in training, to deal with militant terrorists who could have killed him. Or _would_ have killed him, had Mr Wukong not escaped. I am very disappointed in the both of you. You shouldn't let this hunt take over your life, regardless of your past with the White Fang, and Mr Wukong should have exercised more caution."

Blake bowed her head, forced to concede his point. Ozpin somehow had a way of always seeming right in any argument.

Ozpin sighed and took another sip.

"Regardless though, I cannot be angry at what you did. Appalled yes, but angry, no." He said, making her look up at him. "You did what few others would dare to do. And you may not know it, but you are on to something serious. Something that I myself have been attempting to investigate."

"Attempting?" Blake asked. Her curiosity reared its ugly head, and she leaned forward.

"Yes, but unsuccessfully." Ozpin nodded with a grimace. "Considering the unusual behaviour of the White Fang recently and the items that have been stolen, whatever it is they are planning to do cannot be good. Normally, investigating a matter such as this would not be a problem but this time…there are some _issues_ that get in the way."

"What kind of issues?" One of Blake's eyebrows rose to her hairline. Ozpin sighed, trying to choose his words carefully as he turned back towards the window. He observed the swarm of students below as the girl waited impatiently.

"The items that have been stolen belong to the Schnee Dust Company, and are of a very secretive nature." Ozpin finally said. Blake's Faunus ears perked up at the mention of the name. "Any investigation into them that I attempt is blocked by the company head, Weiss's father. He desires the items to remain a secret, and has an extensive network to make sure they stay that way, thus preventing me from accomplishing anything meaningful."

"What kind of contacts?" Blake had a creeping suspicion of what he was trying to say.

"The kind that can ruin someone with words." Ozpin hinted. "Blackmail, strings to be pulled, anything that can convince someone not to give me the information I need."

"Have you been able to find anything?" Blake asked heatedly, not realizing that this conversation had abruptly flipped. Now she was the one grilling Ozpin.

"Only rumours, whispers from those too afraid to speak up." Ozpin replied. "I am not sure what Mr Schnee is so desperate to hide, but there are faint whispers of dangerous chemical weapons, viruses that can enhance one's semblance, but with great strain on their bodies and minds."

"So it's lethal?"

"In a sense, yes. It is said to make the user go mad, which would lead to death or destruction of any mental capability after being exposed to it for too long. It is nothing concrete, but if the rumours are true, then this could be something bigger than we realize."

Ozpin turned back to face her, looking much calmer. "I cannot stand by as something like this unfolds, but neither can I do anything to stop it. All I can do is wait and watch." Blake saw the storm behind his eyes and felt a surge of pity for him. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"That is all I can say for now. As it stands, I daresay that I have said too much already." Ozpin smiled wryly. "You may go Miss Belladonna. But please, just be more careful in any future endeavours."

Blake stood up with a nod and headed to the elevator, only for Ozpin to stop her at the doors.

"And Blake?" he called. "Do watch out. With the classes changing over at the moment, the halls are crowded. Take care not to run into anyone."

With that strange warning in her ears, Blake stepped into the elevator and headed down. Why would he warn her about the halls? There had to be a hidden meaning in that….

Stepping out of the elevator, Blake was surprised to see Weiss tapping her foot impatiently as she inspected her nails. Icy blue eyes lit up when she stepped out of the elevator and into view.

Steeling herself, Blake strode towards the heiress, her bow twitching as her topmost ears cringed in anticipation of the oncoming tirade that was sure to come.

But Weiss only glowered at her, not saying a word. The lack of any stinging words was enough to stun Blake, so the pair just stood there for several moments.

When the silence was too much to bear, Blake cleared her throat. "Where," She swallowed, her mouth suddenly feeling all too dry. "Are the others?"

Weiss's cold stare shifted slightly and she tipped her head towards the dorms. "Back in our room. They're all very interested to hear about the dressing down the headmaster gave you," Blake snorted. "But before that…what the _hell_ were you thinking, you dolt!?"

Weiss's tone softened when Blake flinched at the rise in pitch and tried to level her voice. "I can understand why you did what you did. It was stupid, don't get me wrong and Yang has every right to be mad at you. We're a team, and you should know by now that you can tell us anything!"

Blake wanted to refute her words but couldn't find it in her to do so. Doing so would just dig her hole a little deeper than she liked to. "I...I just wanted to get something more concrete before coming to you all." She mumbled, cringing at how she sounded – a petulant child who was trying to cover up her mistakes. "I...didn't want you guys to think I was just being paranoid."

Weiss gave her a look, a look that said 'You are so stupid, I can scarcely believe we share the same basic genome' and opened her mouth likely to say as much, though in much harsher terminology perhaps mixed with a hint of racism, and Blake looked determinedly down and willed her topmost ears shut in anticipation... which might have been why she didn't notice the figure coming at her until it was too late.

They were nearing their room when a student raced by and slammed into her shoulder. Blake could tell that it wasn't out of malice, the lack of real force behind it was already a giveaway, but it was still strong enough to knock her into a wall.

Rubbing her lightly bruised shoulder, she turned to tell the person off. Only to see the student already rushing away. Blake let out a huff of irritation and was about to step forward when she took notice of something.

The notebook was dark red, with cursive black words etched into it. The words ' _I Love Adam Taurus_ ' glared at her. She was ready to dismiss it as the student's diary when she realised. No one could have known about her old partner's name. In fact the only people who knew about it were her teammates…and the headmaster himself.

She bent down to pick it up, the action catching Weiss's eye. The heiress snapped her jaw shut. "What are you…?" The rest of the sentence went unheard as Blake gently flipped the book open.

The pages were filled to the brim with markings. She skimmed through the first few paragraphs, and realised what she was reading when Weiss gasped in a mix of horror and surprise. Details on which Schnee warehouses had been hit within the last few months, what were the next likely targets plus a small note tucked under the cover of the book.

' **I may be bound, but you have no such restrictions. This is the only help I can offer. Be careful and good luck.** _'_ She read silently.

"This…This is top secret information." Weiss hissed, "Even I can't recognize the names of these warehouses so how is it that–"The heiress cut herself off. "The headmaster. Of course."

Blake nodded, "It scarcely seems like there's anything that the man can't do." She commented, tucking the book under her arm. Weiss shrugged, still slightly alarmed at all the sensitive information she'd seen. And that had only been the first page.

They continued the rest of the short journey in silence, Blake too occupied with her own nervousness while Weiss dredged up any possible information she had on the SDC's recent projects.

The both of them only came to a stop when they heard someone clear their throat. They looked up. Yang was waiting for them at outside their room, looking cool and casual to all but those who knew her. Blake could see the tightness around her eyes, particularly when she came into view. The thin lipped smile she'd shot them was another red flag of the blonde's internal turmoil.

Blake knew that Yang wouldn't be as 'polite' in her phrasings as Weiss had been.

But she wasn't worried at heart, because deep down, she knew that Yang's overall message would be much the same. In the end she would be able to count on her partner just the same if not more so. It might take some time for the trust between them to be built up again, but the boxer wouldn't leave, nor be as petty as to ignore her or scorn her like some others might. Yang was solid and reliable like that.

Blake recoiled in disgust at her thoughts. Here she was, putting everyone around her in danger, and now she was even relying on her partner's weaknesses just so she could avoid bearing the brunt of an angry outburst.

 _Always a runner aren't you Blake? Right down to your bloody semblance._ She ignored the voice in her head determinedly and turned her head aside to discreetly wipe away a small tear. But not discreetly enough. Yang's expression faltered when she caught the action. Angry lilac eyes softened slightly.

"Are you alright?" She asked simply, kindly. Blake had to fight down more tears at the tenderness in those few simple words. Weiss rolled her eyes at the lifeline the blonde had thrown Blake and entered their room first, only for her auburn haired partner to knock the wind out of her with a well-timed pounce, the red cape flailing behind her.

"I'm…fine. Just fine." Blake smiled weakly. "Now c'mon, we have a lot to discuss. If we're not fast enough, Weiss might end up stringing Ruby from her ankles."

The yelling behind them got louder as if in response to her statement. Yang nodded wryly and held the door open as the two walked into their room. As soon as she stepped through the doorway, Blake was hit with a mass of fur and rose petals.

Blake tried to stand back up, but the girl and dog duo kept taking her back down with hugs, questions, more hugs and the occasional sloppy kiss from puppy, not to mention from Zwei as well.

"R-Ruby! You seem awfully happy, considering everything!" Blake finally managed to get out, sputtering slightly and wondering whose saliva had managed to find its way onto her cheek. The girl's, or the dog's... she wasn't particularly keen on both and hastily wiped it away.

"No, I'm very angry!" Ruby crossed her arms with a childish pout as she sat on Blake's belly, putting an end to the Faunus' resistance. "…But I'm also really glad Ozpin didn't kill you or anything!" With that she and Zwei resumed showering her with their strange affection.

Yang chuckled when Blake finally managed to shoo Ruby off and got to her feet, waving Ruby's apologies away for having treated her like a bowling pin. Yang had evidently expected this and Blake couldn't help but sigh at the relief which surged through her.

For better or worse, her team had her back no matter what.

* * *

 _ **The Grinning Psychopath: Hello all, many apologies for the delay and all... if you noticed at all. If you didn't then err go ahead and keep errr not noticing... no delay ever happened, just a figment of someone's wild imaginings, there is no such thing as a delay and all that. Anyhow special thanks to the talented Fenix Fireblaze for aiding us in this chapter. Fucker is real good at dialogue heh, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and more is on the way. eh let us know what your thoughts and all, we feast on your lovely thoughts happily, it's like nectar to us.**_

jin0uga: Whoop another update! Many thanks to _Fenix Fireblaze_ who wrote the bulk of this chapter. The dialogue and scene setting was awesome, so leave a review if you liked the chapter. And as always thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 5

Blake entered the room with the others in tow, sliding down to the floor and opening the journal she hid. She pulled out the few loose documents, spreading them out for herself and her teammates, who stared down at the mess of words and numbers.

"Need help?" Yang asked, the question asked softly enough that it didn't interrupt Blake's search for answers.

"Look through the loose papers." Blake said absent mindedly. "See what you can find. Ozpin sent this to me for a reason."

Yang nodded as she knelt down to help, with Weiss following suit while Ruby kept Zwei away from the papers and his favorite friend Blake, who wasn't nearly so enthusiastic to see him. He yapped several times to catch her attention, but was ultimately ignored.

"These documents…." Weiss said, sounding troubled. "Some of this is top secret, meant only for my father's eyes. How did Ozpin get this!?"

"Don't think about it, Weiss." Blake soothed, not in the mood for any righteous anger. "Just try to find what he wants us to find."

There were quite a few papers, and Blake strongly felt that their time was running out, but she wasn't as worried as she'd normally be under the circumstances. Shuffling through the papers, she kept skimming over small details in hope that they would at least find some semblance of a lead, or some shred of an idea as to what the mysterious cargo might be. If they could at least find where it was headed to, they could have some sort of plan then.

Though rushed as she was, she didn't feel panicked. It was strange, but it could be attributed to the fact that her teammates were by her side. Blake felt that as long as she had her team with her, things would be relatively okay, regardless of whatever monstrosities the White Fang came up with to throw at them. It was a pure, naive fantasy and she knew better than to buy into those feelings, but still she couldn't deny that it felt good to have her partner and her team, by her side.

As if sensing her emotions, Yang brushed up beside her, shooting her a reassuring smile. Silently promising that no matter what happened, she had the Faunus' back. Blake returned her smile, feeling as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

Shaking her head to concentrate, the cat Faunus turned her attention back to the documents before her, forcing herself to focus on the business at hand. There was no time for sappy ponderings or realizations.

"Okay, we know that the package, whatever it, is special. I have no idea why the heck it is, but we know that it's heading to a warehouse, so we need to figure out which. Also, finding the vehicle transporting it and so on would be good, so that we can at the very least warn the guards, if not intercept the White Fang's people ourselves."

Yang evidently liked the sound of that. "Yeah, we'll teach them a lesson they won't soon forget. Let's knock their teeth out and leave'em fangless, am I right!?" She hooted, and everyone else just sighed. The lackluster reaction made Yang deflate.

Blake wanted to shake her head in both annoyance, amusement... and perhaps just a bit of admiration at her partner, honestly amazed at how the blonde could continue to hold such high spirits even after everything that had transpired. Her spirit hadn't wavered a single bit even under the strangeness of the threat they now faced.

That admiration was short lived however, as Yang's grin froze on her face, slowly becoming a pained rictus as she stared down intently at the various papers she read over alongside Blake... and tried, really truly tried her best to understand the information she was being bombarded with. Her eyes tried to at least guess at what had been jotted down on the papers.

The concentration on her part was so palpable that Blake felt like a part of her own brain might melt under the strain it was putting on her partner's brain. Very rarely did Yang speak up about anything potentially helpful in the papers she looked through.

To be fair Blake herself had a rather difficult time understanding the complicated words and phrasings used in the documents, a lot of which seemed like references to other events and or documents, and what she did understand seemed pretty much useless to their purposes.

Still though, she was confident that the answers they sought lie in these documents. They just had to keep at it.

* * *

Subject 182 groaned as heavy metal pounded through the speakers in the small compartment she and her fellow Faunus occupied. If it wasn't one thing, it was another. First her prey escaped due to a fucking milk truck crash of all things, then the higher ups freaked about the monkey possibly listening in on their plans and moved up the time table for warehouse strike, and now she had to listen to this garbage.

A _nd just when I thought being stuck on this douche-eating team couldn't get any worse._ Subject 182 (Or "Sorcha" as she preferred to be called, or Salamander girl as the others called her) thought, clenching her jaw in annoyance, exposing a double row of tiny jagged, needle sharp teeth. Turbulence shook the vehicle, making her head swim. Their reptile overlord grinned out over them all, steadfast in his stance in the back of the oversized van they'd all been stuffed into.

"Sweet dust-aroni of Pittsburg, why the hell do we all need to be in this thing anyhow?" She demanded.

Her question was aimed at the indifferent reptile, but her eyes were settled on the avian in front of her.

Subject 164 just blinked at her with her large all-encompassing eyes, barely even seeming to register her existence. She resisted the urge to click her tongue, knowing that the sound wouldn't escape him.

"Because," 217 drawled. "Without the cover of this vehicle, we're all far too conspicuous. Even if we all went separately, we would draw too much attention, people would remember us, and that's the last thing we want...right now at least." He grinned, his long tongue sliding over his teeth.

Sorcha snorted, "Speak for yourself Mane. Nobody sees me if I don't want them to."

"Yet all too often the only thing people ever do notice is you, sister." 164 murmured, so faint that had the team in the vehicle been anyone but who they were, no one would have noticed she'd spoken at all.

She fought the urge to bare her teeth at the girl. 164, true to her owlish nature, was the silent type, keen on observing, and cataloging information, rarely ever deigning to share her thoughts with others. And just like the annoying avian she so closely resembled, whenever she did pipe up, it was to provoke a response from her 'prey'.

217 chuckled "She's got you there sis, and I believe I told you my feelings on that name, bitch." His tone took a dangerous turn, and Sorcha could swear that 164 gave just a hint of a smile, but she bit down on any retort she might have given.

The reptile was not in the best of moods after the remonstration the bosses had with him about the mayhem he'd wreaked upon Torchwick's building, and it was not wise to push the reptile when his ire was up like that... after all, that's how he got the nickname of Mane.

One of their former teammates hadn't gotten that particular lesson through his thick leonine skull, and...well, let's just say that by the end of it, the reptile's own neck had been quite warm for the next day or so, till the smell got bad enough for the higher ups to gather the courage to complain about it.

Sorcha rolled her eyes in irritation and refocused her gaze on the least aggravating thing in the compartment with her, that being the quiet lion girl sitting in the corner as far from Mane as she possibly could, staring determinedly ahead, even as her ears followed his every movement, for the very simple reason that while she didn't wish to grab his attention by accidentally meeting his eyes, she also didn't wish to miss out on the rare sign of weakness she might be able to pounce upon. Both because it was just in her nature, and because she truly loathed him with every fiber of her being, given how it had been her twin brother he had so savagely slaughtered to earn the nickname of Mane.

She was... or HAD been a brash one to be sure, fiery even... but also kind with a good sense of humor that Sorcha could work with. Till the bigass lizard had crushed it under his boot, along with her brother's ribcage.

"Hey, you alive back there? You're lookin kinda green." Sorcha joked, hoping to get any kind of response and 198 did show just a faint slither of a smile, for the light filling the compartment, was in fact a bright fluorescent green. And of course, the overgrown lizard chose that moment to butt in.

"She's alive." He smirked. "Just saving her energy for more worthwhile things than talking, unlike her brother."

Seeing the female Faunus curl in on herself at that remark, Sorcha bit down a resigned sigh and nearly moved to comfort her.

 **-Flashback-**

The lion twins came out of the training room hooting and hollering, glad of the opportunity to vent their irritations of the day on the combat droids.

They came to an abrupt halt after stepping over the flattened tin cans as the looming figure of 217 came into view.

"So glad you enjoyed yourselves." He rumbled, though his piercing crocodilian eyes registered anything but feelings of warmth and solidarity.

"Though I would like to just ask… what the hell were you two thinking?"

The twins fumbled for a response even as Sorcha barged past them, irritated at the two, though she did feel that 217 was dangerously close to doing something rather unnecessary. She could feel the tension in the air, the sharp glares traded between the three of them that set her teeth on edge. She loitered a little ways behind 217, not exactly eager to be on the receiving end of his snarl.

"We just saw an opportunity and went for it." 199 tried to explain as she struggled to laugh it off. "It was all in fun though."

"Without clearing it with me first." 217 stated a matter of factly as his gaze moved to her. "You forget that you are not in charge. _I_ am." He then shifted his attention to her brother, his crocodilian eyes catching the light filtering in from the stained windows.

"You sure have a funny way of showing it." 198 rolled his eyes.

Sorcha felt her jaw drop at the pure audacity of the lion Faunus. He was playing with fire, and from the look his sister had shot him, she knew it too. Most of the members of the team were predators and thus had difficulty getting along at times, but it was common knowledge that subject 217 was the one they deferred to, the one not to be trifled with no matter the circumstances. The reptile did not take insubordination lightly. Or at all.

"You want to run that by me again, furball?" That was the first sign that 198 had pushed him a little too far. The lioness had already backed off at this point, her head bowed, but her brother still continued holding 217's frigid gaze. Sorcha swallowed. She could tell that this would not end well.

"Sure thing, oh leader of mine." Came the sarcastic answer, "What's it to you that we trashed a bunch of training robots? They were practically begging to be used, and it's not like we had anything going on."

"Training drills." 217 gritted out, eyes flashing dangerously. "Have to be given approval. No exceptions. Not for anyone, and certainly–" He sneered, "Not for you."

"Stop it, already." 199 grasped her brother's arm, alarmed at the reptile's expression. His face was dark, eyes narrowed to the point where they were nothing but slits on his scaly skin. Her brother's bravado chose now of all times to reign its ugly head, and everyone already knew from experience how dangerous their leader could be when provoked.

198 ignored her pleas and pulled his arm away forcefully. He took a threatening step toward 217, nose tilted up to make it seem as if he were staring down the reptile. "Well, we'll keep that in mind the next time we take those androids out for a spin." He drawled, reaching up to pick his teeth.

Sorcha saw their leader's hands clenching and unclenching before diving out of the way.

217 tired of 198's insolence, and lashed out with a fierce backhand.

198 saw it coming however, and almost casually performed a backflip- allowing the reptile's fist to pass right over his head even as his lower body moved up and then delivered a brutal kick to 217's face.

217 stumbled back, a deep rumbling growl building in his massive frame, and 198 smirked, even as he leaped onto a nearby cargo container to gain the high ground advantage.

"Don't play with me, _boy_ ," 217 snarled, "I will end you."

"Not with moves like that you won't." 198 grinned down at the fuming reptile.

217 decided then, that he had enough. So without further ado, he kicked the cargo container with all his considerable might, launching it out from under the lion Faunus and into the nearby wall. The impact made the entire warehouse shake.

198 recovered quickly, his feline reflexes serving him well as he angled himself so that he landed on his feet. 217's own specialized reptile reflexes however…were reflexes geared towards almost lightning fast killer strikes. Sorcha already knew the outcome of the match. 217 was made to kill, he was tailored for it, and as sad as she was to admit it…the feline didn't stand a snowball's chance in hell of winning.

198's feet had barely even touched the ground when 217 lunged forward, moving almost impossibly quickly for a behemoth such as himself, and drove his fist into 198's stomach, flinging him back. The punch was so well timed that it looked like the reptile had anticipated it all along, and 199 watched on with a mounting sense of dread.

198 flew through the air, stunned into senselessness, thoughts and strategies racing frantically through his head even as he pushed through the air, and fought desperately to get his breath back. Unfortunately, what little air he did manage to recover left him the instant he hit the ground, along with the last vestiges of his aura. He cursed inwardly. He'd forgotten how strong the reptile could be, and that single punch had whittled his aura. Not to mention that he'd been sparring with the training androids earlier, which left him rather fatigued.

One more strike like that was all it would take, and he would be finished. He struggled to his feet.

Dimly, 198 heard arguing voices through the white noise filling his skull, and he looked around to see his sister and Sorcha pushing desperately against their team leader, and pleading with him to go easy on 198.

But their leader wasn't having it. He pushed past them, only to halt and let out a pained howl, as 199 activated her aura, causing a swift surge of change in her body as she abruptly became much more like the beast she had gotten her genes from, and sank her newly formed fangs into 217's arm.

217 did not take kindly to that in the least.

He spun on his heel, driving his elbow into 199's face. She cried out, the pain momentarily stunning her. Bits of teeth flew across the room, blood dripping down her jaw and pooling on the ground. The sight of his kin hurt, even if it wasn't seriously grievous, made 198's throat tighten considerably.

"No!" 198 roared, and he too activated his newfound aura mode, thick hair sprouting all over his body, and mane of fur bursting forth around his neck. "Leave her alone!" He bellowed, his words deep and menacing, if slightly garbled by his own mouthful of razor-like incisors. He launched himself at the reptile, clinging onto his back and sinking his teeth in, clawing at the fiend's back in desperation to get his attention of her.

217 roared, and reached back to drag the feline off, when the bastard sister popped back up and threw herself at him, attacking him furiously to keep his hands and his eyes in front occupied.

Sorcha just watched from the sidelines, unsure of who to aid, if any. She knew 217 wouldn't appreciate any help, and would even get angry at them if they tried, and on the other hand the twins were her friends. The fight barely last for more than fifteen minutes, but it seemed to drag on forever, three animals locked in a life or death battle which dragged on into infinity.

For a single moment it seemed like the twins might get the upper hand as the reptile struggled to cope with the two of them on either side of him.

But then, 217 smartened up, and without further ado, fell forward onto 199, letting his whole body tip forward and crash down onto her, knocking the wind out of the poor girl, as close to 400 pounds of heavily muscled scaly flesh threatened to crush her to dust. His claws were buried in her chest, and she shrieked as she felt them digging deep into her flesh.

"Sister!" 198 cried through a mouthful of blood, releasing his mouth's hold on the beast. That mistake allowed the reptile to reach backwards and grab him, flinging him onto the ground. 217 grunted as he got to his feet, bleeding from over a dozen minor cuts and bite wounds, though they'd already begun to patch themselves up, as his cell regeneration kicked in.

"That," he growled, "was foolishness on a grand scale." He stepped casually forward and placed one massive boot on 198's stomach, pushing down with a mere fraction of his weight, but more than enough to drive nearly all the breath from the boy's lungs.

"And if there is one thing that I cannot tolerate, it is foolishness." He drew a heavy black combat knife from its sheaf on his belt.

It was a massive thing with a heavy rubber padded grip about as thick around as a person's forearm, and 13 inch long serrated blade, that was strangely thick on one side. Though in his great grip it looked almost like a toy, rather than the vicious weapon that it was. Mane squeezed the handle, and the blade shifted, reforming itself into double barreled revolver, one barrel on top of the other, the bottom one significantly thicker than the other.

217 aimed that revolver right at 199's chest. His thumb had already pressed down on the selector switch, and his index finger was poised over the trigger. All it would take was the slightest bit of pressure, and then 199's heart and lungs would be filled with 10 gauge pellets.

A death blow for any mortal creature.

198 tried to speak, but his next words were cut off when the blood filling his lungs spewed from his mouth. He doubled over…or at least, he tried to. The tree trunk of a leg that held him down didn't allow him any sort of movement. "I-I'm sorry." He said, once he spat out the warm liquid coating the inside of his mouth.

217 grinned, "What was that? I couldn't quite hear you through all that blood you're spilling onto my boot."

198 looked pleadingly up at the great reptile, "Please," he managed weakly, "Please…d-don't hurt hurt her, please don't…w-we've learned our lesson, we won't do anything without asking you first I swear."

Mane smiled coldly down at his feebly struggling comrade. "No, you won't. And as a matter of fact, you won't be doing anything more after today's little shenanigans." He kicked 199 in the ribs, and there was the snapple-crack of bones breaking under pressure. The girl groaned, but had little energy for much else.

"Now, if you want your sister to live, do me a favor, and stay just like you are, mane and all." 217 licked his thin scaly lips and squeezed down on the handle of his weapon. The massive revolver reverted back into the terrible, cruel looking knife. "I want a little something to remember today by."

217 knelt down over the fallen feline, and began carving away at him. 198's screams could be heard up to the topmost levels of the complex, though no one bothered interfere...they wouldn't dare.

 **-Flashback End-**

The vehicle ran over another pothole, and Sorcha growled when she hit her shoulder on the door. Mane turned his attention away from 199 and gave her a cocky smirk. Sorcha almost wanted the vehicle they were riding in to crash into a brick wall, or perhaps plummet into a canal where everyone would hopefully, drown. Death was more comforting than being within an arm's reach from that overgrown lizard.

* * *

If someone were to ask Blake to compile a list of reasons why she was lucky to have Yang as a partner as opposed to the alternative... she would only have a couple things to put down on that list. 1# Yang was far more respectful of Blake's past and Faunus nature than Weiss, 2# Yang was typically more understanding of Blake's general nature and need for secrets even if she wasn't always good about keeping her curiosity to herself, and 3# Yang was not nearly as prone to irritate her with dozens of maddening questions as Ruby was!

"What's this weird squiggly line here Weiss?" Ruby inquired.

"That's a delivery route." Weiss sighed.

Blake could only look on in sympathy as the Heiress responded to each and every one of Ruby's innocent, yet far too obvious questions, with rapidly decreasing patience... patience she hadn't even thought the Heiress capable of prior to today.

"Weiss!" She called again. "Weiss is this color-" She pointed at the map with an uncertainty that contrasted with her confidence in knowing what the hell she was looking at in the first place. "It's slightly darker than the other roads, and there's some sort of symbol drawn at the end of the path."

"Aren't all the roads all differently colored? What's so special about that particular one?"

"It looks pretty special to me. I mean, it says here that the cargo being transported on this line has triple the amount of guards than the normal ones!" Ruby said.

Blake felt her eyebrow rise. She had a point. But it could be some sort of tactic to make people think that whatever goods it was carrying were extremely important, when in reality, it wasn't. She had come across these types of diversions before. "How high a chance would that be the mysterious cargo we were looking for, Weiss?"

The heiress tugged her ponytail in frustration. "I'm not sure. Father hardly ever tells me anything worthwhile, other than how much dust he's ferrying from place to place." She answered.

"But the colorrrr!" Ruby flailed her arms.

"Ruby you dolt!" Weiss snapped, quite fed up at this point with Ruby's questions. "Just because I'm the daughter of the CEO doesn't mean I know what the hell goes on in the company at all given moments! How should I know why the path is that color, it's not as though...I'm...huh." She paused mid rant and cocked her head the side, staring down at the road which Ruby had pointed out.

"This… this isn't right." She frowned, then quickly snatched up the various maps from everyone else and put them together, one on top of the other. "Yang, plug in that stupid black disco light thing you got for partying." Yang huffed, obviously taking significant offense at the words, but did as she was 'asked' though she swore to herself that she would get retribution for it soon, though obviously at a more appropriate time.

Once the 'black disco light' was all hooked up, and all the other lights in the room had been shut off, Weiss placed the maps directly in front of the lightbulb and Ruby gasped at the result

"Omigosh,the squiggly lines are all different now... and look, there are words!"

"Yes," Weiss murmured, frowning as words did indeed show up on the papers. "Different routes, and the orders they're in military code of some sort, I can't make it out."

"Neither can I," Blake admitted, "we'll have to get someone else to look these over, maybe that one girl on Velvet's team." Blake's face darkened as she saw one particular line of script on the map. "No translation needed for that though." she muttered angrily, and the others were inclined to agree, and Weiss felt indignation and shame rise up within her as she read the words her father had scribbled out on the map.

' _The animals won't see this coming, teach them a lesson even their primitive minds won't soon forget.'_

Dark fury arose in Blake's core, and she felt the strong desire to reach through the map to the person who had written it, and throttle the life out of that person.

"Look," Ruby murmured, distracting Blake from her thoughts of violence, "The route we saw before has been reversed."

Weiss nodded, "Yes...if I'm right, then this is the true path it's taking, the package isn't heading to that one warehouse at all. It's going directly into one of my father's most heavily defended compounds. A special storage facility meant to–" She cut herself off and shook her head, "It doesn't matter, there's no way the White Fang would be so bold as to assault that place, it's filled to the brim with combat mechs and Paladins."

Ruby and Blake both winced in unison, recalling how difficult their last encounter with a Paladin had been, and how many bruises they'd been covered with in the aftermath. Meanwhile,Yang just looked excited at the prospect of another good fight.

Ruby frowned and leaned in to get a closer look "So they're all the same map, but they have different colors and details. When you put them all together it shows a different route entirely…I got that but what's the point of all this?"

"Decoy...it's a decoy." Weiss announced excitedly. "The White Fang, must have gotten their hands on the map, but they didn't know about this trick, so they see it going for the route which leads to this warehouse here," she pointed, "but in actuality the package they're after is going in nearly the opposite direction. My father outplayed them." She said this with a touch of envy in her voice.

Blake herself could admire the cunning, but she wasn't sure she liked that almost awed expression in her friend's features, especially given the words that had appeared on the map.

"But what about the people at the warehouse?"

Weiss looked as if she had bitten into a lemon, skin and all.

"I-it's likely that the majority of them don't have a clue what's coming for them. Father wouldn't want to tip his hand, so he'd keep most of them in the dark, and hide away some of his best fighters and mechs in one of the buildings, or in the crates, ready to ambush the White Fang when they strike."

"Sooo what's the thing he's being so protective about? Come on, I'm practically dyin' here." Yang groaned.

"I don't KNOW!" Weiss glowered at the blonde, "but whatever it is being transported it is likely highly sensitive in nature."

Blake folded her arms. "Sensitive as in…?"

The heiress looked uncomfortable, shifting slightly under all their gazes. "Weapons. Of the physical or biological kind."

Ruby looked confused. "Why does your dad's company get to test that kinda stuff? I mean, what's the point of it all? Don't you just sell dust?" They pursed their lips, while Weiss waited for the three of them to connect the dots. Blake, unsurprisingly, was the first one to do so. It was simple once you remembered that the Atlas government was deeply tied to its military.

"Wait. Isn't the SDC's main headquarters is in Atlas?" She questioned, "If your father is allowed to test biological weaponry of all things, it means that it must have been approved by the government or the military first, correct?"

Yang brightened at that remark. "Isn't General Ironwood all cozy with papa Schnee?" Ruby giggled at that moniker, "I bet he had a hand in this."

Weiss nodded. "Right. Almost nothing goes to the SDC laboratory without instruction. However, there is a small chance that whatever is inside could possibly be raw dust." Even when she said this, all of them doubted that it was indeed, dust. That would be too coincidental, and from that whole Torchwick fiasco, they all learned there were no such things as coincidences.

Yang grinned brightly. "I guess we know what we have to do now. This is gonna be awesome." The boxer got up from where she had been leaning against the wall, and stretched, vertebrae popping loudly as she did so. "Now c'mon!" she hooted, "We've got some underpaid dock workers to rescue."

They all agreed and filed out one by one, though Blake paused before following the others out, glancing back at the papers on the bed, and wondering... just what was so important that the White Fang would go to such lengths to retrieve it, and for Mister Schnee to want to hide it away in such a stronghold as Weiss had described.

 _Should we really be going after the White Fang's people, when its Weiss' father and his mystery item that are causing all this trouble to start with from the looks of things?_ She pondered, but only briefly.

A Huntresses' duty was to look out for those who couldn't stand up for themselves, and those warehouse workers were going to need their help in a big way. She could feel it.

* * *

 **IceTyger: Hi everyone My name is IceTyger and TheGrinningPsychopath asked if I wanted to help. So after getting caught up I decided to. Hope you enjoy the read. Its going to be grim. Ehh get it? Have a nice day and as always stay safe**

 **TheGrinningPsychopath: Yeah he was a good help. eh please do check out his story A Grimm Soul's Light. its a remake of one of his earlier stories, eh i'm helping him quite a bit with it, and we should be having a second chapter for it up soon i think. eh its a good story,and it's only gonna get better.**

 **jin0uga: Sup guys, hope you enjoyed the chapter. Things are finally coming to a head, and shit is about to go down! Special thanks to IceTyger for helping us out with this chapter, it wouldn't have been as good without him. Give his stories a read, they're pretty awesome! And is this RWBY hiatus taking a toll on anyone? On one hand I'm glad it's stopped, if only to keep more characters from dying lol, but on the other, I'm craving for more fights and angsty episodes. Well that's about all I gotta say so, Thanks for reading!**


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